"He said he is on his way," Margret said as she placed her phone back in her pocket.
Everyone had left the hotel immediately after the police left. No one wanted to be around in case they came back. The girls stood at the end of the street and waited until Margret called Efe and got his response.
"So what now?" June asked.
"We wait until he comes," Veronica replied.
"What? Raymond is dead. I could die anytime soon and you want me to wait until he comes?" Joana fumed.
"Your friend is in prison Joana!" Veronica shouted. "Have some fucking sympathy!"
"So it means you can't think of any plan except Grace is involved? Some detective you are." Joana scoffed.
"Why did you take so much time coming back to the room?" Margret said.
"What?" Veronica asked.
"After separating from Joana, I called and you said you were on your way but it took you about fifteen minutes before you came. Where were you?"
"I--" Veronica said then stopped. She couldn't remember what happened after the phone card. Or before she opened the door for Margret and June. "I don't know."
"Great, just like the waitress said in the beginning," Margret said, raising her arms wide in surrender. "If he could get to you then what's to stop him from getting to us? This is all your fault you know... Fuck you, Veronica. Let's go guys." She said finally.
June turned to follow her but then realized that Joana didn't move.
"Jo?"
"I-I don't want to die," Joana said, broken in tears.
"Jo," June said again then went to console her sister. Margret came over too while Veronica just watched. Soon Joana wiped off the tears from her eyes and they left her.
"You guys go. I don't want to go home."
"Well, then you come with me, June too. My mum wants me and her to watch one Korean movie like that, we could do it together while we wait."
"No, you both go. I'm calling John." She said then brought out her phone to dial John. He picked almost immediately.
"Hey, are you home yet?"
"No, can I come over?"
"Sure."
"Okay." She replied then hung up.
"At least let's walk with each other till we split up," Margret said and they agreed.
All that time, they acted like Veronica wasn't even there and she couldn't blame them. Margret was right, it was all her fault. She should have stayed away from the beginning. And now that she tried to fix everything, it only made the issue worse. June was the only person who looked back when they left and after a few minutes of standing alone in the middle of the road reflecting on the choices she made and regretting each and everyone, she got the courage to begin her walk home. It didn't stop the inner voice from screaming out loud.
'I told you from the beginning, this wasn't going to end well.'
"Stop it!" She shouted and increased her pace.
'You were going to screw up their lives and then they'll hate you for it.'
"No, I didn't mean to." She said running.
"But yet you did. You can't win, Veronica, I'm in control now."
"No, I won't let you."
'I'd like to see you try.' The voice said finally then faded almost immediately, leaving Veronica in a world of blackness, alone with her thoughts and her guilt. She longed for it to come back so she wouldn't be alone but as if it was getting satisfaction from being silent, it kept quiet.
Soon, she was at the front of her house, and then she realized she had run from the hotel back home. She walked in to find Hakeem in his usual position on the TV. This time he got up to welcome her.
"Hey kiddo, how was the party? Did you flex hard? The time is fifteen minutes to eleven, I'm sure you did."
She didn't reply and he paused to study her facial expression.
"Veronica, are you crying? What happened?" He said coming closer.
"It's nothing, Uncle Kim. I just miss my parents so much and I want to talk to them."
"You weren't able to reach them this evening?"
"No, daddy was busy as usual but I texted saying I would call tonight."
"Oh, go on then. Up up up!" He said as he tickled and poked her playfully, making her cackle up the stairs.
"Good night Uncle Kim!" She greeted him after walking a distance.
"You kiddo." He replied.
Back in her room, she tried to call her parents but felt truly alone when the number didn't go through. Even her parents had deserted her and she wondered if anyone would miss her if she died at that moment. She had no one and even the voice wouldn't talk so she could tell back at it. She burst into tears and cried until she blacked out on the floor.
* * *
Grace had never really been in a police station before until that night. After she was brought in, she put down her details with Officer James who happened to stand in for another Policeman at the counter that night.
"Full name?"
"Grace Umi Williams."
"Age?"
"17."
"Address?"
"Number 10 Ruka street."
"Name of parent or guardian?"
"My Brother, Efe Rejoice Williams."
"Okay," The officer said in satisfaction. "Right now you can't be granted bail because you haven't been interrogated by the lead detective on the case. Everyone else has gone home and I'm about to."
Grace looked away in order not to show her fear.
"But before I hand you over to the female warder, I can give you a phone call. Would you like to call your brother?"
"My phone is dead."
"You can use mine." He said waving it in the air then tossed it over to her.
She gave the policeman a skeptical look, wondering why he was being nice to her then dialed Efe and placed it in her ear.
"Hello?" She said.
"Hello, who is this?" Efe replied.
"Efe it's me."
"Grace? Grace, how are you? What's the situation over there?"
"I'm going to sleep in a cell..."
"No, don't say that. I'm on my way. Just hang on."
"They are about to close. And they said I haven't been questioned yet so I can't leave."
"Hold on, whose phone is this?"
"A police officer."
"Give it to him.
She looked at the officer. "He wants to talk to you."
He nodded and she handed the phone over to him.
"Good evening sir."
"Why are you people behaving like this? She is just a small girl, a secondary school student for Christ's sake."
"I'm sorry sir. But as she told you, it's beyond me. I'm just following orders here."
Efe fell silent for a little moment.
"Okay listen to me, if she is going to stay there tonight then you'll have to hand her to a female warder."
The officer smiled.
"Already planned, sir."
"And you don't put her with the rest of the inmates, you put her in a separate room. Am I clear?"
"Done sir."
"Great, please give her the phone back."
The officer handed the phone back to Grace.
"Hey G, can you hear me?"
"Yes."
"You're going to be okay. I talked to them and you will be alright. You got mom and dad's blood running in your veins. I know you can endure a night there... Tomorrow I'll be there okay? And I don't care if they are through with any interrogation or not, I'm taking you out of there."
"Okay."
"I love you."
"I love you too." She said then hung up.
"What happened to your parents." Officer James asked as he took the phone from her.
"They died in a pipeline explosion."
"Oh, I'm so sorry... Let's get going then."
The officer took her to the prison cells where they met a female warder.
"Ah, Oga James, na your face be this?" (1) She said smacking the gum in her mouth loudly. "Who be this one? Na ashawo? Her face small oh."(2)
Grace rolled her eyes in disgust.
"No oh, na my person."(3) Officer James replied with a chuckle. "And na you I dey hand am over to, just for this night. Abeg do am well."(4)
She looked at Grace again one more time.
"Then, okay na."
Officer Ade turned to Grace.
"Warder Patricia will take care of you. I have to go now."
"Can't I follow you home or something? It's not like I'm going to the runway or anything."
He chuckled.
"It doesn't work that way Grace... And don't you worry about Patricia, that's just the way she is. I'll see you tomorrow." He then waved one more greeting to Patricia and the rest of the warders before he left.
"What are you here for?" Warder Patricia asked immediately after Officer James left but Grace didn't reply.
Patricia hissed.
"Okay oh, make we dey go."
They walked down a row of cells where Grace saw different kinds of people in each of them. She saw the suffering and regret and remorse written all over the faces of both the bad who had done ugly things and both the good who were probably framed or made a poor choice and she feared that it would befall her very soon.
They reached the end of the row and Patricia opened up the cell to the left. It was small, dark and the floor reeked with the smell of feces and urine. Grace held her mouth to stop herself from vomiting.
"I no fit stay here."(5)She said.
"Oh, so now you fit talk?"(6) Patricia replied. "Well this na the only better cell for here. Everywhere worse."(7)
Grace gulped then walked in and stood at a corner and watched as Patricia locked the cell door.
"Goodnight oh." She said finally then left, clanging her baton against the iron bars as she walked away.
Grace stood until the noise of the wood hitting the metal faded away. Then she squatted and held her knees together. It was all over now. What would become of her life now? What about her friends? She lamented on these thoughts and the thoughts of what would happen tomorrow as she cried into the night.
* * *
Just as Officer James was about to enter his car, his phone rang. An unknown number.
"Hello, who is this?" He asked.
"Who I am isn't important right now, what is important is I know where you can find what you're looking for."
James was in total confusion.
"Huh?"
"Sylvester's body, I know where it is!"
___________________
Translations:
(1) Me James, is this you?
(2) Who is this? Is she a prostitute? She looks small.
(3) No, I know her.
(4) And I'm handing her over to you just for this night. Please take care of her.
(5) I can't stay here.
(6) So now you can talk.
(7) Well this is the only good cell here. Everywhere else is worse.